A Sweet Reunion
by SingingInTheShower
Summary: Oliver was sure that Percy would never want to speak to him after that day in the owlry. Could a chance encounter years later prove him wrong?


AN: A little oneshot between Oliver and Percy.

Disclaimer: If I owned it, these two would have gotten together a long time ago…

I would always remember that day during my seventh year when I first kissed Percy Weasley. Looking back, it definitely wasn't one of my smoothest moments. I'd never I'd never felt quite as comfortable on the ground ass I did on a broom, but even that had been beyond my usual awkward behavior. One minute he'd been telling me about some fancy internship at the ministry, and the next I had him pressed against the wall next to the open window.

The owlry, normally teeming with the noise of fluttering wings and screeching, seemed unusually quite that day. Or maybe that was just because the rushing in my ears was too loud for me to hear anything else.

And _bloody hell_ was he a good kisser. His hands running through my hair, the way he leaned into me, and that adorable little sound he made when he opened his mouth against mine were all perfect. At that moment I couldn't begin to call to mind all the reasons we shouldn't have been there doing what we were. Or maybe I just didn't care. I was in a bubble, and only he and I existed. How could I possibly care about the rest of the world when I had his plush, warm lips pressed against mine and his usually gentle hands frantically pulling me closer?

And then, as quickly as it'd started, it was over. I felt Percy stiffen against me before twisting out of my arms, nearly falling down in his haste to get away from me. For a moment I expected him to yell at me in disgust or even slap me, but all I saw when I looked into his eyes was fear. He shook his head as he backed away and tried to regain his breath.

"Perce…" I began, taking a slow step toward him.

"Don't," he interrupted. He reached behind his back when he backed into the door, trying to find the knob. "I can't," he said desperately, as if pleading with me to understand. When I opened my mouth, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ollie. I just can't. I…I have to go." And then he was gone, leaving me there to stare blankly at the empty doorway and wonder what in the bloody hell to do next.

Percy avoided me after that. I tried to find him and apologize, but he was sneakier and more evasive than I'd given him credit for. He never talked to me unless we were in a group, and even then he would barely look at me. The guilt and anguish I felt at his behavior were eating me up inside. My stupid, impulsive actions had scared him away for good. I wanted to badly to apologize, but never got the chance. I wanted so badly to get him alone and beg him to forgive me, but I never got the chance. A minute later our time at Hogwarts was over, and we were off on completely different paths.

By he time I saw Percy again I was trying my hardest to be a different man. I'd realized that what had happened wasn't entirely my fault. Yes, I'd been a bit impulsive, but his fears and insecurities weren't my doing. I was a strong, proud gay man, and I needed someone else who was too. It wouldn't have worked in the long run. I was over it.

At least, that's what I tried to tell myself.

I was completely unprepared for the onslaught of emotions that swept over me when I came across him during the Battle. It was like I was 17 all over again. He was exactly how I remembered him. I was so distracted by the sight of him that I nearly go my head blasted off by a bloody Death Eater. After that, everything seemed to happen pretty quickly. One second, Percy was making some joke about resigning, and the next Fred was getting hit by Augustus Rookwood's explosion, and all the teasing was gone from Percy's eyes.

Except that it had to be wrong. It had to be some kind of cruel joke, because Fred Weasley _couldn't _be dead. Not joking, kind-hearted Fred, one of the two people who'd guessed and accepted my feelings for his brother. Not the fun-loving boy who'd already considered me part of his family.

But there was no time to be sad, because I was being shot at again, and Percy was running after Rookwood. I couldn't let him do that. I had to protect him even though I couldn't save his brother. I caught up to him quickly, thanking the rigorous training Puddlemere's United put me through.

"Percy, don't!" I cried, grabbing his arm and pulling him back towards me.

"No!" He yelled fiercely, thrashing against me in an attempt to continue his pursuit. "Let me go!"

Afraid of drawing attention and danger to us I quickly ducked us inside an empty classroom. I pushed him against the door and grabbed his face, making him look at me.

"Percy, listen to me! Fred wouldn't want you to get hurt because of anger and impulsiveness!" He looked like he was going to argue, but suddenly let out a sob and fell limply into my arms.

"Hey, shh, it's okay," I said, trying to make my voice comforting and fighting off my own tears. "It's okay, Perce. He wouldn't want you to do this. He'd want you to get back out there and kick some Death Eater arse."

Percy was silent for a few moments, then pulled away from me and rubbed the tears roughly from his face.

"You're right," he croaked. "Thank you, Oliver."

"No problem," I said, awkwardly patting him on the back. There was really no reason I should have been so aware of how close he was to me. Or for my heart to start racing and my palms to be getting all sweaty. And there was absolutely _no_ reason for him to be looking at me like that.

Suddenly, he was leaning up towards me, and—dear Merlin—I could feel his breath against my lips. I was leaning in, too, despite the little voice in the back of my head telling me I was just going to get hurt again. My hands cupped his face, and we were so close I could feel his lips trembling and his chest heaving against mine.

Our lips had just barely brushed when a loud banging noise sounded outside the door. We both gasped, and Percy jerked away from me as if he'd just realized what he was doing.

"I…I should—I mean we—" he spluttered. I tried to ignore how cute it was and focus on the war going on outside the door.

"Yeah," I agreed. "We should go. They need us out there. Do you want me to help you find—?" But Percy didn't wait for me to finish; before I could even blink, he was out the door to go searching for Rookwood alone.

The rest was a violent, surreal blur. I saw the bodies of so many of the people I'd gone to school with that by the end of the night I couldn't even feel the urge to cry anymore. The only thing I was ever really aware of after I started trying to block it all out was Percy. We never stayed in the same place for long, but whenever we would I would feel a flood of relief wash over me. I'd look him over as best I could, checking for any injuries and thanking any god that was out there that he was still alive. Every time he was out of my sight all too soon; and though I did my best to concentrate on the battle I couldn't help the fear that twisted in my stomach whenever I couldn't see him.

During one of the moments when I was surveying him for injury, our eyes met. For a moment time seemed to stop. In that infinite second so many emotions passed through Percy's eyes, and I felt sure that he'd been looking at me for the same reason I'd been looking at him.

I tried to find him after the battle finally ended, but I didn't want to interrupt his time with his family.

After that night, I didn't run into him again for another two and a half years. I'd almost contacted him dozens of times, but always ended up talking myself out of it. He was probably busy. I didn't have time. Maybe, deep down, I was hoping he'd come to me first. It seemed like I was always the one going to him. So maybe I was afraid of being rejected again. In any case, I avoided it for so long that I eventually convinced myself I'd never have a chance. Besides, I'd heard recently that he'd been seen around with some blonde woman. Annie? Aubrey? Either way, it was pretty obvious that he was more into blondes. And females.

I tried to get over him; I really did. I dated, and even ended up in some of their beds, but it was never right. He was always in the back of my mind and frequently at the front of it. It wasn't worth the heartache I felt and caused by trying to get involved with other people.

So when I walked into the Ministry that day, I was not looking for a date, or to get lucky. And I certainly wasn't looking for Percy. But the world has a funny way of throwing exactly what we don't expect right in our faces.

I wasn't watching where I was going, of course. I was looking at the nameplates on the wall, keeping an eye out for Harry's office when I collided with a small but solid body. I struggled to regain my balance, barely catching the poor bloke and stuttering out an apology as I did.

"Oh blimey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean—" Anything I may have said was wiped from my brain, however, at the sight of Percy Weasley standing in front of me. He was straightening his glasses and looking just as baffled as I felt. "Percy? What're you doing here?"

He raised one eyebrow as if questioning my intelligence. "_I_ work here. And what, may I ask, are _you _doing at the Ministry, Oliver?"

I couldn't help it. I was instantly defensive. Who was he to suddenly waltz back into my life, get me all flustered, and then start treating me like an out-of-place moron?

"What's it to you?" I snapped. "It's not like you actually care." Percy stepped back as if I'd slapped him. He opened his mouth to respond, but I brushed past him before I could do anymore damage. "Forget it," I muttered. "It was nice seeing—"

"Ollie, wait!" he exclaimed, grabbing my hand. I closed my eyes at the shock of warmth that raced up my arm at his touch. His use of my old nickname would have been enough to make me smile were it not for the terribly awkward situation I'd caused. "Ollie I…can we talk? Somewhere quieter?"

I looked around to see that we were indeed in a crowded hallway and that our conversation was drawing quite a few pairs of eyes. I felt my cheeks color slightly when I realized my hand was still encased in his, but hell if I was going to be the one to pull away first. Just as I was about to reply, I saw Harry approaching us from behind Percy.

"Actually, I'm supposed to be meeting someone and I wouldn't want to—"

"Wood! Percy! What a nice little reunion you've got going on here, huh?" Harry said as he reached us. I narrowed my eyes at him, immediately suspicious of the sly twinkling in his eyes. "Hey, Oliver, I was just on my way to Draco's office, and I might be a few minutes. Why don't you two go _catch up_ in Percy's office?"

Harry walked away without waiting for an answer, patting my shoulder as he passed. I blinked, trying to figure out if he'd just ditched me for a quick shag with his boyfriend or if this was a not-so-subtle hint for me to talk to Percy. Served me right for letting my feelings for his best friend's brother slip. My musings were interrupted when the object of said feelings cleared his throat.

"Ollie? Can we please talk? Just for a minute? I promise I'll let you go as soon as Harry comes back, so I won't be a bother."

How could I possibly refuse that face? Without thinking about it, I reached up and tucked back a stray hair that had fallen into his face.

"You're never a bother, Perce," I assured him. I drew my hand away, forcing myself not to trail my fingers against his enticingly pink cheeks and trying not to think about what they meant. I didn't want to get my hopes up again. So instead of thinking about how alluring his bottom lip looked when he bit it, I told him to lead the way to his office.

His office was as meticulously clean as his part of the dormitory at Hogwarts had always been. It felt good to see his spotless and organized desk and know that some things never change. Percy ushered me into a surprisingly comfortable chair and took the on behind his desk. He was silent, looking down and playing with a quill on his desk for so long that I finally cleared my throat to get his attention.

"Um…so, what's up, Perce?"

He swallowed hard. "Look, Ollie I…" he sighed and seemed to steel himself. "I just wanted to apologize." When he saw me about to speak he held up a hand. "No, please. I treated you horribly more than once. You deserve better than that and I…well, I know I have no right to ask, but…could I maybe take you to dinner sometime so we could start over?"

I blinked, trying to process what he'd just said. "I…what?"

"Look, I understand if you say no; I just thought—"

"But you never—and you're—you pushed—and aren't you seeing some blonde bird?"

He chuckled, looking amused at my inability to form proper sentences. "You mean Audrey? She's most definitely just a friend." Percy paused, his face changing into a look of embarrassment. "I'm sorry I never tried to contact you after the Final Battle. I just felt so awful about how it must have made you feel when I…and, well, you never tried either so I thought—"

"Percy, I was sure you hated me! I wanted to see you again, but I took the fact that you ran away and ignored me—twice—as a sign that you didn't want anything to do with me." I took a breath to continue my tirade but stopped when Percy got up to walk around his desk and grab my hands.

"I know. You had every right to feel that way. But I could _never_ hate you, Ollie. I'm so sorry I ever made you feel that way, but if you just give me another chance I swear I'll be better. I love you, Oliver. Please let me make it up to you."

I stared into his earnest eyes for a few seconds, hardly able to believe my ears.

"You love me?"

Percy blushed a little, but didn't look away from me.

"Yes," he affirmed with a small nod.

I stood up, leaning forward to rest my forehead against his.

"I thought I'd never hear you say that," I whispered. And then I leaned forward to kiss him. It was soft and sweet and hopeful and everything our first kiss should have been. "I've loved you ever since I met you," I said when we separated.

"Really?" he asked breathlessly, a small smile on his face.

I brought our still twined hands up and kissed the back of his hand.

"Really," I promised before leaning in to kiss him again.

AN: Please review. (:


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